Ahhh, American tourists being slaughtered in foreign lands. It’s a scenario recently made wildly popular in Hostel and carried on in films like Turistas, Wolf Creek, and The Human Centipede. These films typically portray visitors from the U.S. as douchebags who party hard and have their sights set on one thing: ravaging the local female population.

Now Pablo Larcuen’s Hooked Up is carrying the torch, only the douches film their debauchery strictly on iPhones. Yes, it boasts to be the first feature film shot entirely on an iPhone (it was shot in 2011). This actually makes sense – two young tourists in Barcelona filming their exploits on their iPhones. This is totally plausible and for the most part, Larcuen’s film works on a lot of levels. There’s a palpable claustrophobic atmosphere, decent acting, and some real terror. It also sinks in many ways, particularly during the first 20 minutes of the film, where I wanted nothing more in the world than to turn the damn thing off.

One minute into the film, I wanted the two guys to be killed off. Tonio (Jona Ehrenreich) and Peter (Stephen Ohl) are best buds. Well I think they’re supposed to be at least. When they’re not arguing over the fallout of Peter’s recent break-up, in which he was dumped for kissing another girl, they’re whining about whether or not “get pussy.” Tonio has got to be one of the most offensive main characters I’ve seen in a long time. There’s a shot that lasts about five minutes in the very beginning, in which Peter is vomiting into a toilet and Tonio is filming him, trying to explain how awesome going to Barcelona to get laid will be. It took a lot of strength to not turn the movie off at this point.

Once the guys do arrive in Barcelona, they party a lot. And it’s obnoxious. Eventually Hooked Up finally gets rolling when Peter meets a girl who’s overly into him at a club. They follow her back to her grandparents’ house – a confined multi-story place with tightly wound staircases and long dark hallways. It’s a terrific set for a haunted house, as the guys soon find out. Larcuen does a great job establishing the geography. When the guys are running for their lives (which they do a lot), we know exactly where they are and what room they’re hiding in. Hooked Up works really well in this aspect. There are wicked long shots in the hallways, where the masked killer could run down any second. The tension ratchets up a great deal during many of these cat and mouse scenes.

As far as the killer goes, I really wish they had dipped into the mythology behind her some more. There are brief moments when they flirt with her past, but these parts come fast and frantic, giving the audience barely any time to digest what was explained. It would’ve been nice to get a better understanding of why she was going berserk on the guys. Because of the frantic pace, a lot of the supernatural elements of the film get jumbled up. I’m honestly not even sure if there were supposed to be supernatural elements, since the killer’s backstory is blazed through so quickly.

While I wanted to throttle Peter and Tonio during the first third of Hooked Up, once the horror kicks in they actually become tolerable characters. Jona Ehrenreich and Stephen Ohl both do a great job maintaining the intensity and terror. They have a natural “bro” chemistry (bromistry?) on screen and through the course of the film, as motivations shift and crumble, we get to see their friendship take on a whole new life and death.

Hooked Up suffers from some of the trappings of found footage, particularly shaky cam. Holy hell there’s a lot of shaky cam. But for the most part, the violence and drama is front and center, with most of the shakiness reserved for running down stairs. I’m sure people who still insist on getting pissed over why characters continue to film while their lives are in danger will be yelling at the screen. I’m over that argument though. They’re still filming because it’s a movie, be cool about it.

There’s some fine set pieces at play and a few inventive moments, but the conclusion was wholly underwhelming. It builds up a lot of steam only to fizzle out. Though it certainly goes in an unexpected direction, Hooked Up‘s end fails to make an impact. If you can make it past the painful first 20 minutes, I’d say it’s definitely worth renting solely for the great middle chunk.

We finally have the first official trailer for The Assignment, the first of three planned story expansions for the nightmare fest that is Shinji Mikami’s The Evil Within. The first two add-ons will follow Sebastian’s partner Juli Kidman, as well as “answer some of the questions surrounding her whereabouts” during the main game, while the third will revolve around its hammer-wielding box-headed baddie, The Keeper.

All three The Evil Within expansions — The Assignment, The Consequence and The Executioner — are included in its $19.99 season pass. If that’s too much of a commitment, they can also be purchased individually for $9.99 each.

Today brings the final entry into our exclusive weekly series of teasing the upcoming My Enemies & I EP Sick World, which comes out March 10th!

For this week’s clip, we’re teasing the track “Toxic”, a track that is as vicious and ferocious as its title. Starting with piercing electronics and aggressively whispered vocals, the teaser builds up to a demonic, monstrous roar. Head below to get a taste.

Pre-orders for Sick World are now open! Make sure to pick up your copy via either iTunes (digital) or All In Merch (physical).

Genre favorite Richard Stanley, whose failed attempt to bring his dark vision of The Island of Dr. Moreau was recently documented in the brilliant film Lost Soul (our review), was recently interviewed in the LA Weekly. It’s a terrific article, with Stanley detailing the ins and outs of his doomed project. The most exciting aspect of the piece comes when Stanley is asked if there’s a chance he would be attempting to make the film again…

At this stage, it looks very likely. It’s too early for me to name the company involved, but I was actually put under contract in January to write a new draft of The Island of Dr. Moreau, which is already completed and delivered. The project has come back to life, which I think is a side effect of David (Gregory)’s work.

Stanley goes on to talk about his thoughts on Frankenheimer’s finished film, which he says he’s never watched from beginning to end. But the main thing to take away from the interview is that Stanley is one of the most fascinating filmmakers alive and that he needs to get behind the camera more. The fact that he’s been put under contract to draft his Moreau once again? This is exciting as hell.

Be on the look out for Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau, which screens across the U.S. in February and March courtesy of Severin Films. Put it on your “most anticipated” list immediately or go back to the house of pain!

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Demons, the 1985 horror film written by Dario Argento (Suspiria) and directed by Lamberto Bava (Delerium), Rustblade has announced several package deals built around the soundtrack of the film, which was composed by Claudio Simonetti (Goblin).

The big kahuna that they’re offering is a deluxe bag, which includes a bevy of goodies, from the soundtrack on vinyl to an autographed poster. The full list of its contents can be found below.

Rustblade describes the soundtrack:

The lower tones as the main characters move through the dark theater give a distinctly ‘creepy’ air to the movie. A distinctly frightening melody characterizes the ‘transformation’ sequences as the 2nd prostitute slowly becomes a demon. The same melody appears throughout the film in different places.

You can pre-order the package via Rustblade. Shipping begins on May 29th.

When I attended a preview event for Killing Floor 2 back in August, we were shown the first teaser for its live-action short film, dubbed Killing Floor: Uncovered. The project is a collaborative effort developer between Tripwire Interactive and film production house Type AB.

Uncovered serves as a prequel to the events in the first Killing Floor. It follows a group of activists who break into a Horzine Biotech facility in an effort to expose the company’s shady dealings in illegal cloning, genetic engineering and secret military contracts.

It’s been a minute since we had any word on Henry Hobson’s zombie drama Maggie. Last we heard, it was acquired by Lionsgate, who promptly pulled it from the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival where it was set to have its world premiere. Since then, the whole world has waited with bated breath to find out when we can finally see Schwarzenegger punch zombies in the face. Now we have that answer.

Lionsgate’s partner Roadside Attractions will be releasing Maggie on May 8, only a couple months from now! This will be Hobson’s directorial debut, after working as a title credits designer for years.

“A Midwestern farmer stays by the side of his beloved teenage daughter even as she slowly turns into a cannibalistic zombie, in this daring, genre-bending debut feature.”

The film also stars also stars Abigail Breslin, Joely Richardson, Laura Cayouette and J.D. Evermore.

The first part of Resident Evil Revelations 2 is already available for a lot of folks and it will continue to roll out to other territories throughout the week. There’s a lot riding on this game, both for fans of the series and its publisher, Capcom, so it’s a good thing that its first episode is actually pretty great.

If you’ve finished the introductory episode, it’s time to break your silence — what’d you think of it?

Episode one: Penal Colony is available now for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Reviewed By Katy Rex. Wow. What a disappointing finale. Agent Carter has done a lot of work to set itself up as a distinct entity from the Captain America movies; Peggy is a woman who once loved Captain America, yes, and she is the woman that he loved too, but it has been an important plot point that she was never defined by her relationship to him, until “Valediction.”

But I’m getting ahead of myself. The story begins with the theater scene from last week, complete with screaming, and trapped patrons. In the aftermath, Sousa the intrepid detective investigates the crime scene, stumbles across Dottie’s unassuming planted baby carriage, gets sprayed with Stark-brand rage-spray, and goes all murdery on Agent One Tree Hill. No word yet on whether the Midnight Oil (Item 17) used to dose Sousa was in any way triggered by gamma radiation, but it’s definitely the case that you won’t like Sousa when he’s angry.

Meanwhile the good doctor Vladimir Mindbendoyevsky and the daring, darling Dottie Underwood are in a Cadillac commercial in the city, Dr. M extolling the virtues of its metropolitan sophistication and Ms. Underwood plotting its total destruction. This is the B story, and now that the gang’s back together, the SSR is executing the A story, much easier to follow (or at least more direct) than the multitude of narrative threads weaving their ways across the screen last episode.

Speaking of the gang, Howard Stark turns himself in, allowing him an entire episode cameo for the finale. Somehow, despite the whole premise of the conflict in the last several episodes, Stark manages to quickly and easily convince the SSR that they’re all on the same team, and they’re going to work together to bring down Vlad & Dottie.

This all sets up very predictably; they arrange a press conference to absolve Stark of various war crimes & sundry, have a few laughs as they try and draw the speeches out to allow Stark an adequate amount of bait time, while Stark feeds Agent One Tree Hill lines about his heroism and brilliance. This is a good a time as any to say that at no point does the “lovable misogynistic rogue” thing grow on me, even though I know it’s meant to. Stark is so important to the formation of S.H.I.E.L.D., and for that reason I really want to like him– and mostly because of the importance of the agency, not just the screen time that must come with it. I just can’t. He’s just so… gross. The mustache is probably supposed to indicate that he owns his grossness, but I find myself not caring what he owns, and not wanting to hear from him, like, ever.

But getting back to the press conference, of course shots are fired, and of course Stark is whisked away by Jarvis and the SSR canvas the nearby buildings. But predictably, Dottie has beat them at their own game (because yes, she’s that good) and their bait-and-switch has been superseded by Dottie’s bait-and-switch; the sniper rifle was set on a timer, and the driver of the car (who is, excitingly, played by a PoC in a show with not nearly enough representation) Stark was whisked away in is in fact a hypnotized kidnapper working as an agent for Mindbendoyevsky.

So that setup, for the real conflict of the episode, is fine. It’s not exciting or revolutionary, it hasn’t given us any of the things we love about Peggy (but quite a few things we hate about Stark), but it’s fine. And here’s where it breaks down for me.

First, as Stark is getting kidnapped, there’s a weird tension when he doesn’t remember Dottie (then Ida). Why does she care? This woman could murder him with her pinky finger. He is less than nothing compared to her, and added to that, he’s a gross misogynistic pig to be exploited for her political gain. Anyway, that was a minor point (albeit one that was revisited a couple of times), but I could have done without it. Moving on. The good doctor wants to poison Manhattan with Midnight Oil, which is a poison that needs to be deployed aerially. So Stark is hypnotized into a plane, his own plane, to fly… across the water with a world-class destructo-weapon. It’s no tesseract, but it’s goddamn familiar.

We do finally get a physical confrontation between Carter and Dottie, and it’s every bit as brutal as it should be– no slapping, no hair pulling, just truly abhorrent violence, martial skill and tactical calculations. However, it was over far too quickly, and didn’t seem to resolve anything. In fact, it revealed some weird jealousy Dottie has “always” had about wanting to be a pretty girl who can walk and talk a certain way? When did she want that, when she was murdering other little girls for practice in the academy? On what TV or radio did she follow the glamorous lives of divas and celebrities? It’s not just jarring, it’s out of place and illogical.

The rest of the episode is equally bizarre, as though it was written by someone who had just seen the Captain America movie but didn’t have time to catch up on the episodes previous to this. Peggy has to convince Stark not to genocide Manhattan, and the whole conversation takes Peggy down. This isn’t the Peggy that was thriving among her former compatriots in the Howling Commandos episode, this Peggy confesses to Stark that she misses Steve too, that Stark is “the only person who believes in [her].” This isn’t a moment of vulnerability– far be it from me to criticise vulnerability, and we’ve seen that done well in this show. This is a moment of compromised identity. The rest of the episode, Peggy is Steve’s girl. Sousa and Agent OTH save the day, incarcerating Dr. V, and Peggy has to roll her eyes at Stark’s sexist jokes and admit that Dottie/Ida escaped.

The first half was boring, the second half undid the work of making it separate from the film, but the last 3 minutes of the episode (maybe to pay us back for all that crap) were great: First, Stark has given Peggy and Angie one of his smaller homes, with six bedrooms, and I’m already imagining a Women Of SHIELD house in a Season 2 Spectacular. Second, as the good doctor is locked away, muzzled so he can no longer hypnotize anyone, who should his cellmate be but the infamous Zola! Nazis and cameos and Hydra, oh my! So with prospects of sisterhood and sinister, a second season sounds simply delightful, but this finale was somewhat of a dud.

Decent movie-themed hotels are kinda rare. Recently my wife was looking for a cool spot to stay in San Francisco and she found this one place that has a Mrs. Doubtfire themed room, but I don’t think anything can hold a candle to Japan’s Hotel Gracery, which offers a Godzilla Room.

According to the Telegraph, the room features a massive kaiju statue of Godzilla and memorabilia from the film. The roof of the 30-story hotel will have a huge Godzilla head sticking out of its roof. If guests don’t want to dish out $334-$417 for the room, they can opt for an affordable $125 a night in a room that overlooks the lizard’s mug.

So far just these digital renderings of the room are available. I really hope there’s a painfully loud alarm clock that emits the Godzilla roar (and cable).

We here at Bloody-Disgusting have been pretty huge fans of “Roche Limit.” The first issue begins a neo-noir unlike anything in comics. It’s Blade Runner meets Ed Brubaker’s Criminal and every page oozes style. I couldn’t get enough of it, and tomorrow brings the end of the first arc. Our own Torin Chambers called the first issue astounding, saying “The Roche Limit Colony has an absolutely magnificent ‘Blade Runner’ feel about it. Even in this first issue the colony comes alive with numerous varied locals. It’s got cramped and noisy places, walls that are riddled with rivets from countless repairs and covered in a thick grime. It’s also got spacious apartments, ritzy high end clubs and notably seedy bars. The Roche Limit Colony is a character in and of itself, teeming with personality and interest.”

So it’s with the utmost happiness that we report the the second arc “Roche Limit: Clandestiny” #1 which hits in May. It’s a brand new storyline that takes place 75 years after the original arc, and I’m sure has more than it’s fair share of surprises for old and new readers, alike.

Bestselling writer Michael Moreci and artists Kyle Charles and Vic Malhotra team up with volume two of a groundbreaking sci-fi trilogy, ROCHE LIMIT: CLANDESTINY. This new series will launch from Image Comics on May 6.

In ROCHE LIMIT: CLANDESTINY #1, it’s 75 years after the events that left the Roche Limit colony in flames. When a crew of military and science personnel are sent to the forgotten and desolate planet on a mysterious expedition, they quickly learn its dark secrets—and that their mission is not what they thought it to be. With danger lurking all around, the crew members fight to find a way off the planet and resist the mysterious presence that haunts them all.

“The success of Roche Limit has been more than I could ever hope for, considering it’s a pretty out-there book,” said Moreci. “What’s exciting is this new volume pushes things further, introducing a whole new cast and story while maintaining the thematic core that readers have loved so far.”

ROCHE LIMIT: CLANDESTINY #1 hits stores on May 6. Cover A (Charles) can be pre-ordered with Diamond Code MAR150507. Cover B (Malhotra) can be pre-ordered with Diamond Code MAR150508.

Now that Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot (or whatever you wanna call it) is finally a go, any news that trickles in is going to make waves in fandom. The all female cast may have annoyed some purists, but I’m really digging all of the changes Feig’s making so far. On the most recent episode of AMC’s Talking Dead, the filmmaker revealed a surprising source of inspiration for his take on Ghostbusters:

I will say, I was very inspired by this show. What I love is how they play with the danger, they play with the scariness, but also the idea that it’s always about gauntlet run. And that’s something, an element I want to bring to this Ghostbusters reboot is having to get through these various obstacles that are supernatural and all that. I really feed off of The Walking Dead.

While it sounds like a bizarre place to draw inspiration from, I the idea of a supernatural obstacle course in the new Ghostbusters sounds wicked fun to me. I doubt the downbeat tone of the series is going to have any influence on the film, hopefully Feig wasn’t implying that, because it would suck. But injecting the series with a little more fast-paced action could be a great move and a nice way to give the film an “updated” feel. Feig’s already mentioned his film will be scarier than the originals, beefing up the action goes right along with that.

Would this movie just come out already? Last July, the first trailer for Grizzly(aka Red Machine, aka Endangered) dropped online and since then the film has been gathering dust in the U.S. Meanwhile overseas the film was released and is already slated for home video. Check the new foreign trailer below (as well as the good ol’ English one).

In the action thriller Grizzly, a deputy whose mission is protecting the threatened grizzly bear suddenly finds himself conflicted when a massive rogue grizzly wreaks havoc on a local Alaskan community. Enlisting the help of his estranged brother, he enters the labyrinthian Grizzly Maze to track down his wife, who’s gone missing, before the bear does. As the body count mounts and an infamous bear hunter enters the fray determined to take down the bear he’s been waiting for his whole life, no one is safe in the harsh Alaskan wilds.

Stoner metal group Torche have released a teaser for their upcoming “Annihilation Affair” music video, which was directed by Phil Mucci (High On Fire, Stone Sour). The teaser shows nuclear explosions, flamethrower-wielding robots, a woman in a tube that looks like it’s right out of The Fifth Element, and a whole lot more. Basically, it’s got all the markings of yet another insane yet incredible visual experience from Mucci.

The band has also released a stream of their upcoming album Restarter, which came out today via Relapse Records.

Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin has announced a string of live concert dates that will see them perform throughout Europe during March and April. Nearly every show offers something different, with some shows seeing a live performance of the Profondo Ross score, a date for Suspiria, one for Dawn Of The Dead, and also some live shows that do not specify what exactly will happen.

The group is also hard at work on a new album entitled Four Of A Kind, which is being funded through Pledge Music. There are 11 days left in the campaign.

Let’s face it, we’ve all thought at some point or another about how we could kill someone and manage to get away with it, right? The thought of taking out someone that we despise, someone who has wronged us, is actually rather normal. However, I highly recommend you not making the jump into becoming a mass murdered/serial killer.

Rather, why not take a simply quiz which asks a few short questions and then purports to be able to tell you which famous serial killer you’d most likely take after! Will you land on Ted Bundy? Perhaps Jack The Ripper!

I got Hannibal Lecter, which reads:

You are Hannibal Lecter, a highly sophisticated individual with first class taste and the will power to get whatever you want. You are hungry for life and thirsty for power, as you travel the globe seeking out your next victims. Your greatest indulgence comes in the form of cannibalism. You fall in love with people, allowing them to consume you… until you consume them. Although you are a savage criminal, you are a sensitive soul who appreciates beauty and you would share your knowledge in order to help others seek justice.

Starring Julia Stiles, Scott Speedman, and Stephen Rea, Out of the Dark is a ghost story set in South America, where a young family’s new life turns from promising to terrifying when they are forced to confront ancient legends, ghosts, and a haunting family secret.

Check out this exclusive clip from the film that’s now on VOD platforms. Vertical Entertainment will be releasing in limited theaters February 27th.

Shockingly for some, unsurprising for others, reality TV is still going. Thankfully, it’s not all Big Brother-esque shows (since that would be aggravating to practically everyone). There are still plenty of those around, and with them come indie horror films that take the concept to a sinister level. You’d think that with the stinkers that have come and gone (Cam2Cam comes to mind for me), directors would shy away from using the concept of “watching a film where people watch other people in real-life situations”, but kudos to them that do try. Case in point: Girl House, directed by Trevor Matthews and Jon Knautz.

Saddled with mounting university tuition and the recent death of her father, Kylie (Ali Cobrin) decides to move into a house that streams live video for a voyeur website called Girlhouse. The house is home to other women who go about their day, but also partake in chat sessions and do some occasional stripteasing for viewers. One such viewer, a user known only as “Loverboy” (Slaine), takes a particularly strong interest in the girls. However, once he finds out that the girls have taken to ridiculing him off-camera, Loverboy decides to exact a deadly revenge.

What could have easily been one of those “fire-and-forget” slashers stories, Girl House surprisingly has far more than what the premise initially details. Kudos to writer Nick Gordon for giving us characters that while they do fall into the typical slasher cliches, aren’t characters you won’t give a damn about. Rather, there’s an actual emotional attachment to some characters. Their interactions with each other provides the film with far more depth than what you’d normally get with this type of slasher. Kylie’s relationship with her friend Ben, for example, not only feels natural (despite being cliched), but it also provides more insight into characters rather than being a superficial plot point thrown in to attempt “depth”.

As a rule, slasher films hinge largely on the main antagonist being memorable and creative visually and in character. That’s not a problem with Slaine, who does a pretty damn fine job as the socially-awkward yet clearly disturbed Loverboy. Slaine hits the right notes when it comes to expressions and emotions, while evoking a bit of sympathy for the sob. That is, until he puts on the mask, turning into something that looks like Michael Myers stole the Leatherface mask from The Next Generation. After that, the brutality that was under Loverboy’s awkwardness comes out to play. The fact that this guy can move makes him all the more scarier. As for the rest of the main cast, Ali Cobrin turns in a great performance as the film’s main protagonist. As hinted at previously, Cobrin is very likable and believable in her role, and the chemistry with her and Adam DiMarco as Ben adds a lot. The troupe of women in the house, such as Zuleyka Silver as former heroin addict Anna, and Alyson Bath as the irritable Devon, all put their mark on their characters, despite again being your stereotypical slasher figures.

While Girl House does sound like a fun ride, there are a few issues that remind you that this is a low-budget indie slasher. The some of the acting, namely James Thomas as Gary, the man behind Girlhouse, come off as more amateur and hammy when compared to the rest of the cast. Also, despite the addition of the digital component, the story isn’t that much different than what other slashers have done before. And I know that some people might find the film misogynistic and gratuitous (the voyeuristic aspects won’t help), but that’s kind of to be expected with a film like this. Plus, it’s counteracted with a strong female heroine and characters who aren’t walking around with “kill me” signs on their backs.

Honestly, what I initially thought was going to be another one of those throwaway cheapo slasher films actually turned out to have more to it. Boasting some strong acting from almost everyone involved, coupled with a scary antagonist and some genuinely brutal moments that gorehounds will love, Girl House is definitely one of the stronger slasher films I’ve recently seen. The fact that it’s also well-done indie film makes it more impressive. While it does tread the familiar for many fans, it’s still worthwhile to check it out.

The folks at Fright Rags continue killin’ the horror apparel game with their new Child’s Playcollection, which is up now for pre-order. The collection features a number of wicked shirts and posters, as well as the limited edition box set that comes with three shirts, an 18×24 screenprinted poster, and a sticker, all in a replica Good Guys box.

Frights Rags’ limited sets typically sell out crazy fast, so don’t sleep on this or you’ll be praying to Damballa!

In Ejecta, “reclusive UFO conspiracy theorist William Cassidy is taken prisoner by a secret government agency investigating the arrival of an alien life form. Through flashbacks they uncover the terrifying details of what happened the night the alien returned and changed everything we thought we knew about the universe.“

The film was written by Tony Burgess and stars Julian Richings, Lisa Houle (PontyPool), Adam Seybold (Exit Humanity) and a small cameo by Dee Wallace (E.T.).

Ejecta had its world premiere in August at the 2014 Fantasia International Film Festival.